


Phantom Figures, Phantom Shadows.

by vinwrites



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: AFAB Asra (The Arcana), ASRA GETS HIS WHOLE PEACH EATEN, Domestic Fluff, Dominant Asra (The Arcana), Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Kissing, Magic, Male Pronouns for Asra (The Arcana), Multi, Nonbinary Asra (The Arcana), Nonbinary Character, Oral Sex, Other, Pining, Rough Kissing, Sex Magic, Soft Muriel (The Arcana), Top Asra (The Arcana), asra uses he/him but that doesn't make him not nonbinary stop calling him a man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23676859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vinwrites/pseuds/vinwrites
Summary: They're childhood best friends... With some benefits on the side. Muriel can't deny his feelings for Asra; but would telling him bring an end to their visits, and their friendship?I've wanted to write a short NSFW fic between these two for AGES and I'm finally doing it WOO
Relationships: Asra/Muriel (The Arcana)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 137





	1. Chapter 1

The low-set bed creaked with the roll of Asra’s hips against Muriel’s. The air was thick and damp with the heat of their breath, carrying low hums and hitched breaths. 

It was a typical Tuesday night for Muriel; he’d completed his mundane checklist of cleaning (which wasn’t done well, considering the thin layer of dirt still adorning the corners of the room. Things around here didn’t stay clean for long--) and chopped the firewood for the night, taken Innana for a walk around the woods, even made a hearty soup from the mushrooms he’d found by the caves. 

And like most Tuesdays, Asra had come to visit. Some weeks, it was nothing more than a friendly visit; a friendly conversation, a walk through the woods or lunch together, where Muriel would offer some of his soup and bread to Asra who would  _ always  _ oblige, provided he could treat Muriel to dinner another night of the week.

And others, he would opt to treat Muriel in…  _ Other  _ ways. 

Much like tonight, where talking turned to ruminations and playful flirting, where flirting turned to light touches and touches to kissing, and kissing to more kissing,  _ passionate  _ kissing that evolved into something far more primal; into Asra naked and on top of him, forcing him back into the mattress despite being so much smaller than the mighty silhouette that Muriel carried.

He melted into Asra’s touch, in the way his fingers would squeeze and pull at his waist, at his ass, in the way he'd grip Muriel's thighs and pull himself onto Muriel harder, latching on and refusing to allow Muriel to slip from his grasp. He was possessed by the magician's touch, and willingly allowed himself to fall under his control. And he'd revel in the way the magic in him would prick at his skin and entwine with Asra's, despite his own magic being so weak it was practically unnoticeable in normal circumstances.

Asra would bring out the strongest in him, in times like these. The strongest of his magic, the strongest of his will, of the core of his dormant primal being. 

_ Fuck,  _ Asra would speak just above a whisper, pulling Muriel to his lips in a clash of heat, grinding down onto Muriel harder, _harder,_ jerking and tensing in the uneven desperate rhythm of his hips. He’d grow tired beyond his own will, and Muriel would assist, rutting himself hard upwards in a steady pace, watching as Asra slowly became undone piece by piece, his expression tightening into one of pure ecstacy, breaths ragged.

And then, if Muriel had done well, he’d see it; the one moment Asra would lose his control, where his magic would surge and his dominance over Muriel would fall flat, where his body would spasm and shake against his will and leave him to the mercy of Muriel, open, unguarded,  _ beautiful.  _

_ Gods,  _ he was beautiful, and Muriel couldn’t help but seize the moment to let it be known. He brought their lips together again, his free thumb working at Asra’s clit, intensifying his orgasm, breathing noises of pleasure into Muriel.

Muriel would come not soon after- how  _ couldn’t  _ he, with such a sight before him? Removing himself from Asra’s warmth and releasing into the cold exterior, his pulse violently racing and muscles tensed before releasing in a tempest wave of pleasure. Their lips would meet one final time before Asra would collapse beside him- and part of him would wish for Asra to be on top of him again, just so they could continue connecting, just so he could let it be known how much he  _ cared  _ for the other, so he could say what he needed to without having to say it. His hand would always inch closer to Asra's, begging the other silently to come closer. He never did, and never noticed, and Muriel would always retract his hand to his own side regretfully.

Muriel would always try to say it. And tonight, same as every other Tuesday night, he’d be too late. They’d lay side by side, exposed fully to one another, chests heaving with the labors they’d performed for each other. Asra would comment on the time, on how late it had gotten and how he’d had to go ready his shop for opening the next day; the apprentice wasn’t around any longer to take care of it, after all. 

And then he was gone as fast as he’d come, a phantom’s shadow in Muriel’s memory. The hut would feel more barren and empty. Usually, that was a good thing, Muriel liked empty, he liked alone. On nights like these, alone felt like a death sentence; like poison. 

He’d imagine Asra would still be beside him, and he’d roll into the blankets where he once lay, breathing in the remnants and traces of his magic. He’d imagine his head on Asra’s small chest, arms around his tan waist, and he’d dream of them together, wandering the docks like they did as children, running from the world, hand in hand. 

When he'd wake in the morning, his pillows would be damp with summer sweat and tears, haunted by the phantom shadows of his part-time lover. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Who are you?” The old woman before him demanded, eyeing Muriel’s figure suspiciously. He attempted to answer, but failed to speak a single syllable before she’d continued, “I don’t need to ask. You’re here for Ilya, no?”

Muriel hesitated a moment, taken a bit aback by the old woman’s tone; she looked far more gentle than she spoke,  _ this  _ must have been Mazelinka. He’d only heard Julian talk about her in passing once or twice. 

He nodded, and found himself lead into a small living space, sat at a tiny sofa much too small for a man of his size, practically weighing a curve into the piece of furniture. He’d never called on Julian for such a thing; quite frankly, he didn’t trust the man at all, and was typically much more wary of the strange doctor. 

But, he was Asra’s ex. He knew about the romantic side of Asra, about what certain _things_ meant. He’d have the answers Muriel was looking for, no doubt. And so, here he waited, until the doctor made his way around the corner of the small inner city shack. It was then that Muriel realized he hadn’t seen the doctor since the issue with Lucio and The Devil; he looked different now. His eye had healed, and his hair much longer than before, pulled into a ribbon sat low on his neck. It suited him. 

Suddenly, Muriel felt this was a bad idea, after all. The first time they’d talked since saving the world together, and he’d arrived to talk about his ex. What would he even say? He considered getting up and leaving, but Julian had already entered the room and begun to say something. Again, he’d been too late. 

“Muriel,” Julian’s eyes widened a little at the familiar face, “It’s been ages.”

Muriel didn’t say anything. Avoiding eye contact at any cost, he simply nodded, followed by a gruff “Mmhm.”

“Is... Everything alright? Are you sick? Broken bones? Bit by a raccoon again?”

“...I haven’t been bitten by a raccoon since the plague was in Vesuvia."

“You forget about your drunken escapades attempting to befriend the street raccoons after Nadia’s celebratory saved-the-world party,” Julian half laughed, taking a seat across from Muriel. “No, but really… Is everything okay? You look like something’s bothering you.”

Muriel tugged at the skin on his hands, chipping away at his nails in anxiety. He didn’t want to answer. Thankfully, Julian was intuitive enough to where he didn't have to.

“...Is it Asra?”

The look on his face answered Julian’s question.

“Ah. I see… How long have you two been having sex?”

Muriel jumped a bit at Julian’s far-too-accurate conclusion, face flushing a little too tellingly. “It’s not like that! Or- I mean- it  _ IS  _ but…”   
  
Julian sighed, holding back a laugh of amusement at Muriel’s reaction. “Muriel, it’s okay. I know the look, and I know the feeling all too well. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?”

Muriel’s face was buried in his hands at this point, wishing desperately for Julian to stop talking. His lack of a denial answered Julian nonverbally yet again. 

“Listen, Muriel. I know Asra… And if you want my opinion? I think you have a chance. A really good one, actually. All you have to do is tell him in the way you know how.”

“...What do you mean…?”

“I think that’s for you to figure out, Muriel… But Asra doesn’t hook up more than once with people he doesn’t care for at least a little. And judging by the way I’ve seen him look when he talks about you…” Julian stood from his place, a hand placed reassuringly on Muriel’s shoulder. “I think you two will be just fine.”

They talked a little longer, mostly Julian; Muriel wasn't much of a talker, but Julian was. Mazelinka offered the both of them tea as Julian reminisced over his previous relationship with Asra, where Asra liked to go on dates and what sparked their heated breakup, all of the ups and downs; and while Muriel tried to pretend he wasn't listening, he'd secretly been absorbing every word that spilled from Julian's mouth, a holy grail of first-hand experience with the lovely magician and how he'd won his heart. 

The sun was setting, and Muriel had to make his return to Innana, offering a quiet thank you as he head for the door, ducking before exiting the frame. 

"OH, one last thing, Muriel!" Julian called after the man before the door had a chance to close fully behind him, prompting Muriel to reopen it slightly to listen to whatever parting words Julian had to offer.

"Eat his ass!" He called out, voice echoing embarrassingly into the city streets, "he'll LOVE it!"

Muriel slammed the door. 


	3. I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to complete-- to be honest, I was low on inspiration and wasn't sure how to go about writing this. I wanted it to turn out good because I was proud of the rest of this piece, so I gave it the time I needed to finish it accordingly. 
> 
> Anyway the pandemic has made me ~~bankrupt~~ feel free to donate to my ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/vinwrites if you like my work and want me to post/update more frequently. 
> 
> I do writing commissions!! Message me or comment for details and I'll send them to you :)

The soft toll of the bell above the magic shop and the smell of Asra’s incense sent a wave of anxiety washing over Muriel. He’d meant to go home; he’d meant to save this discussion for another night. But somehow, he'd ended up here, standing in the doorway and paying no mind to the "sorry~ we're closed" sign posted in the shop window. 

He’d waited far too long, too many years, and he’d gone on to see Asra fall in love over and over again, other men, other women, other people. Apprentices, accomplices, coworkers, strangers.  
He realized, after talking with Julian and seeing the far away reminiscent look in that man’s eye that he couldn't bear the idea of another. He didn’t want this to end, at least not with his tongue held, no. He’d regret the memory for the rest of his days if he’d turned left at the light and travelled home, because he knew that if it wasn’t now, it would likely be never. 

A fluffy mess of white curls popped up from behind the glass display of potion bottles and enchanted jewels, and instantly Muriel's insides were a knotted mess, stomach uneasy and jaw clenched. “Welcome to- Oh! Muriel!” Asra’s expression lit up at the recognition of his dear friend, a response that sent a flutter through Muriel’s chest, “What are you doing in town?”

Muriel’s lips parted to speak, but as if his voice had been taken from him, he’d found himself unable to make even a sound. The noise caught in his throat felt as though it were suffocating him. “...I… Well… I was… Out getting… Eel.”

Asra’s eyebrow piqued. “...Eel?” His eyes explored Muriel’s hands, pointing out that he obviously didn’t have any eel in his possession. 

“Well, yes, but I… I couldn’t find any, and ah- I… Have to t-tell… Something, it’s not really important though, I mean it’s important but it’s not important, it’s just that…”

He could feel himself cracking under the pressure of Asra’s gaze, the feeling of his attention practically turning his thoughts inside out. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, and he felt further from his body than usual. There was the undeniable urge to stop talking, to pretend like none of this had ever happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop muttering incoherent nonsense, afraid of what any silence might bring. 

“Muriel, hey,” Asra dropped the strange magical items he’d been handling moments ago and made his way to the larger man, gracefully circling his way around the counters and display cases that stood between them. An honest look in his expression, he attempted to calm Muriel in the way he’d done so so many times, calloused hands cupped between artisan fingers, a gentle hum of magic surrounding him with Asra’s essence. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

Muriel had dodged Asra’s expression, eyes fixated on the floor as if his life depended on it. He didn’t want to be seen. He wanted to hide in the shadows, far away from everything. Far away from reality. 

For a moment, their eyes met, and all Muriel saw was the calming sea of violet, the sea of Asra, who gave those phantom shadows a shape, made them tangible, made them warm.

He almost didn't realize his next move, only realizing he'd placed his lips against Asra's when the latter's arms found themselves tossed lovingly around Muriel's neck as he let himself be taken by the kiss; white eyelashes gracing the golden earth of his cheeks. 

He reveled in the warmth that Asra breathed into him, combing his fingers through the white cloud of hair, his other hand at Asra's lower back, leaning the two into a kiss one would only imagine in the context of a shitty romantic fanfiction. 

Their movements grew sloppier, desperate. They fumbled backwards into the wall, nearly tipping a shelf of delicate potion bottles, startling Asra away from Muriel. Hooded, lustful eyes scanned the room and returned to Muriel, looking him up and down hungrily. “How about we take this upstairs?”

“Asra, I--” Muriel tried to speak, words being silenced with Asra’s tongue tying his, a flash of teeth toying at his lower lip sending a rush of blood below his belt.

He didn’t think. His hands were beneath Asra’s thighs, lifting him onto his waist, legs wrapped tightly around his midsection. Between kisses, Muriel hoisted Asra up the creaky wooden stairs, pushing through the door to the small bedroom above the shop, a bed just big enough for the both of them among Asra’s other few possessions- he was a minimalist at heart, despite what his shop downstairs dictated. 

Their teeth clicked together awkwardly as their lips crashed together once again, Muriel leaning atop Asra as he set the other down gently on the bed. A push of Muriel’s thigh against Asra’s groin sent a warm breath onto Asra’s cheek, the white-haired ethereal figure before him desperately reaching for Muriel’s pants, assuming the routine they’d fallen into-

“Wait,” Muriel breathed, holding Asra’s hands from their work at his belt and kissing them quickly, thanking him gratuitously for the thought, “Asra, can we try something new tonight?”

“Anything,” A pleasant hum escaped Asra’s throat as he gazed upward at Muriel’s overwhelming silhouette in the dim light that flooded in from the stairway- “give it to me, I’m yours tonight.”

Asra’s words burned in his mind as his hands trailed to Asra’s pants, pulling them down past his hips. He placed a gentle kiss to Asra’s navel, then another, trailing downward to his most sensitive areas before pulling them off entirely. Asra, a little too pleased with the look of focus on Muriel’s face, took the cue and continued to disrobe his upper half, pulling his shirt over his head and discarding it to the abyss beyond the mattress. He allowed his legs to be lifted to the sides, over the side of the bed atop Muriel’s shoulders, whose kisses continued everywhere but where Asra wanted them most.

When Muriel finally followed through, tongue slowly making its way through Asra’s folds, a noise of pleasant surprise escaped Asra’s mouth, magic pricking at Muriel’s skin as he worked between Asra’s legs. His tongue delved deeper into the other, speed alternating to meet the gentle pulsating of Asra’s magic, tasting the slick forming on his tongue as he worked faster, then slower, then longer, then faster again. 

“Oh my stars,” Asra smiled, revelling in the pleasure and satisfaction of what was happening between his thighs, “Mmm… Muriel, I’m close.”

And that was his signal to slow to a stop. Muriel finished his work with a final kiss on Asra’s clit, adjusting himself to a stand and flipping Asra onto his stomach, a long stroke of his muscular hand running down Asra’s spine, sending shivers through him. “Muriel, what are you…?”

Muriel massaged Asra's shoulders a moment, moving down to his shoulder blades, his mid-back, his hips, his thighs, and his hips again. Muriel could only think back on what Asra had said moments ago despite Asra’s quiet sighs of relaxation and release filling his ears currently. When Asra claimed that tonight he was Muriel’s-- he knew what Asra meant, but truth be told, he couldn’t bring himself to play along. 

I don’t want you to be mine, he wanted to assert, hands trailing down to Asra’s ass and squeezing, pushing his thighs apart, leaning himself between them, I want you to stay beside me. For more than tonight. 

A surge of his magic as Asra gasped out-- Muriel’s face finding a place at Asra’s incredible ass, tongue toying with him in an entirely different way than before. “Holy shit.” Muriel had taken Julian’s advice-- easily some of the best advice he’d ever taken. As he pulled back for a momentary breath, he caught a glimpse of Asra’s expression; that was certainly a face he hadn’t seen him make before. He quickly took the incentive and returned to his work, Muriel’s unoccupied fingers slipping their way deep into Asra’s cunt, moving rhythmically with the movements of his tongue. 

Pricks of magic against his skin grew hotter. Noises unrestrained fell one by one from Asra’s throat, moans and gasps of sheer pleasure as the figure beneath Muriel grew closer and closer to the edge. 

“Muriel, wait,” he breathed, hand cupping one of Muriel’s, easing the man’s grip on his thigh. He took a minute to compose himself as Muriel placed a finishing kiss to his asscheek. “Get beneath me.”

Muriel nodded and obeyed, switching positions with Asra, opening himself to whatever the mage wanted of him. He watched with hungry eyes as golden hands twined their way through Muriel’s shirt, pushing it up past his shoulders, then down, trailing the scars and marks adorning his skin to the edge of his trousers, undeniably tented in arousal. Asra pulled them down just enough to expose Muriel’s member, springing upward in desperation from its previous restraint. Positioning himself above it, Muriel’s stomach tossed as his tip met Asra’s slick entrance, and then, slowly, made its way inside him.

A hand on Asra’s stomach felt the pressure build inside him from Muriel’s (rather large and imposing) presence, an elated warmth of magic flying through Muriel’s veins and sending his hair to stand on end. “Asra,” he swallowed hard, mouth dry with excitement as the mage’s hips began to move, hips circling on Muriel in a way that made his toes curl. “Asra- ah.” 

“I’m here, Muriel,” he smiled, kissing at Muriel’s hands as he tightened around him.

“Asra, I- oh god,” Thumbs toyed at Muriel’s nipples as Asra’s hips gyrated faster, the magician’s slick dripping down the base of his cock in a way that sent shivers through every nerve.

“Tell me-- what you want--” Asra spoke between ragged breaths, focusing his work on undoing Muriel, watching as the man beneath him twisted and writhed in pleasure with each movement.

“Asra, please, Asra, I--” his voice caught in his throat as another cry of pleasure escaped him, Asra’s hips crashing downward on his full length. He tried to speak again, but the words escaped him, primal urge surpassing his ability for thought. The only thing he could do in this moment was sloppily reciprocate, hips bucking and grinding into Asra above him, the sensation growing hotter and sharper with each movement. 

Asra’s movements became ragged, and Muriel knew this was it-- but the peak he’d expected didn’t come. Asra grunted and cried out in pleasure that grew taller, higher than he’d been before. The magic around them seared white-hot, a sensation that sent Muriel over the edge in an instant, spilling himself into Asra with a moan akin to a scream. 

“I love you!” Desperate words filled the air, for a moment a feeling of panic, and then surprise taking Muriel. Strangely enough, the words came from a voice that wasn’t his own. 

It was Asra’s. 

Not seconds later, a scream of pleasure fell from Asra’s throat, body spasming and shaking as he climaxed hard around Muriel, walls tightening and loosening with each surge of pleasure that dropped him from his peak.

He collapsed, still with Muriel inside him, atop the man, unmoving. His white hair sticking to the sweat on Muriel’s chest,they lay there together, panting at the labors of a job very well done. "Holy shit," the words fell put of Asra's mouth as he pulled himself off of Muriel, fluids spilling carelessly onto one of his blankets-- he was too tired to care. He lifted Muriel's spent legs and tossed blanket into a nearby bin, collapsing beside the man in a sweaty heap as he waited for his magical energy return to its normal state, revelling in the last few tastes of climax it offered.

Muriel was quiet a moment, processing what had just happened. "You didn't mean that, did you."

"Mean… Hah…?" Asra took a minute before it came back to him. Oh. "...I did."

"You…?"

"Yeah, Muriel." Asra stared blankly into the ceiling a moment, eyes fluttering shut with admittance. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now, I just--"

Muriel turned, a hand on Asra's jaw turning his face towards his own, bringing their lips together, gentle and with sentiment. "I didn't know you felt the same," his whispers akin to a grumble, Muriel could feel a flush red-hot tickling his cheeks.

"I didn't know either," Asra admitted, violet eyes searching his for the truth, content in what they found. "I thought this was only physical. You could have told me, Muriel." 

"I didn't want to lose you," he admitted a little too willingly, "the nights you'd leave… I didn't want to imagine you never coming back."

Asra planted a deep kiss to Muriel's hand, white eyelashes gracing rugged skin as he did so. "Stay with me tonight, then?"

A silence. 

"I'd like that."

"...Round two, then?"

"...I'd like that even more."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you like my work, consider tipping at Ko-fi.com/vinwrites
> 
> I also do commissions! PM me or check out my profile for more information!


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